A poisoned chalice filled to the brim with rawed and rampant feelings of hollowed-out, alienated despair this debut full-length from Norwegian black metal duo AVMAKT uses ancient wares as heraldic device in developing their own insertion into the realm(s) of black metal. Presented with familiar skeletal form and timbre ‘Satanic Inversion of…‘ could be taken in a couple of different ways, as an easily read tribute to the earliest second wave or perhaps a most comfortable, connective pulpit to extract the self from. Either way the keen-earned listener should be able to quickly identify the referential starting point here and potentially glean the deeper nuance of this work as a marriage of auld traditions and a still emerging personal touch. As a debut the quality and authenticity of this work is admirable though the discerning elder’s ear may be left searching for a truly bold, standout personae within the hypnosis of their fray.

Formed south of Oslo on the menacing suburban hill of Tårnåsen where the biscuit factory burnt down *crow noises* circa 2020 Avmakt began as a trio linked by way of Black Magic and Mabuse, intending an authentic black metal sound. The first demo from the group (‘Avmakt‘, 2021) featured Krisian Valbo (Obliteration, Dødskvad) on drums, Christoffer Bråthen (Flight, ex-Condor) on guitars and Andreas Hagen (Abhorration, Purple Hill Witch) on vocals/bass and of course this was destined to catch the attention of folks who follow underground music in general as these are well-proven musicians with hands in 70’s heavy rock, extreme thrash, and death metal acts over the last decade plus. I don’t think they would unite during the pandemic years for the sake of something too familiar, they each have fonts for different types of sub-genre music, but the focus of this band was to channel the feeling of despair into black metal music which was hypnotic, ancient, and transfixed upon the inescapable abyss before them. This translated into a demo tape clearly inspired by ‘A Blaze in the Northern Sky‘-era Darkthrone with less interest in ‘Morbid Tales‘ but with a light shade of ‘Under the Sign of the Black Mark‘ buried in the rhythmic bones of a couple of songs.

While this might sound somewhat novel to folks who’ve not been paying much attention to black metal since 1992, or hadn’t heard a lick since last week, there are perhaps only two or three records from the early 90’s with as much general influence upon black metal projects (in terms of structure, riffs, and anti-sound design) as a whole and the variations beyond that point were seemingly endless even by 1995. Where does ‘Satanic Inversion of…‘ land on a scale of ‘Kronet til konge‘ to ‘Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts‘? At times they go a bit ‘Dark Waters Stir‘ but most of the time there is a kinda ‘666‘-era Katharsis level swat and drone to their reap which attempts some abstraction of forms to keep things spiraling downward rather than simply rattling in place; Now a duo for this album between Valbo and Bråthen the band can’t help but further recall the early spirit of Darkthrone upon approach. Opener “Ordinance” doesn’t quite run the gamut but opens the screaming door to droning wrath, exploring some of those possibilities while presenting a bristling guitar tone. The real depth and the hook-in for this album comes with the next three pieces, starting with main single “Poison Reveal” which appears quaint until the noise guitar solos begin to ring, the pace swats it up a bit faster and the slide into a slower pace knocks us back down again around ~3:19 minutes in. Sure, this is all much cleaner than the olden ways but the spirit of early 90’s black metal of a certain type is represented well without feigning naiveté or slamming shitbrick EQ on a cheap DSP and calling it “raw”.

In the quick turnover time between that first tape and this LP they’ve retained just two songs (“Sharpening Blades of Cynicism” b/w “Towing Oblivion”) out of the total six, bringing new versions to this album and setting them as the pivot point for this experience. This makes a lot of sense as “Sharpening Blades of Cynicism” is probably the most immersive and overall representative piece Avmakt have recorded to date and still features well here as the extended endpoint for Side A. I don’t that it’d make sense to point to one change-up or movement that stands out within the ~10 minutes of that song but the grooves it works through had consistently given me pause within each listen of the album, serving as a major anchor for repeat spins. A couple of pace changes, a great sound, and a pretty simple trip over the course of an extended song and you’ve more-or-less gotten the idea of what ‘Satanic Inversion of…‘ is all about at face value and I don’t think the results will be all that polarizing for most, this is easily approached and sorted in mind even if it does go on for ten minutes.

Over on Side B “Towing Oblivion” picks the pace back up and whips up another big groove, this one does threaten a burly Celtic Frost type riff but dials it closer to circa ’87 Bathory instead. While this isn’t the exact signature of Avmakt in a nutshell it is ultimately my favorite song on the record for its main riff and how they’ve played with it, modulating the speed of that riff into a piece which pushes and pulls back and forth as it develops. The appeal of this record really is that simple and that referential in some sense but that doesn’t stymie its efficacy as a serious enough black metal album with some engrossing value. If you want some bigger doom and sharp-bladed, faster riffs “Charred” amplifies each effect and closer “Doubt and the Void” extends that idea a couple extra minutes with some doom metal worth riffs and rattling second half which slaps its way through the last four or so minutes without taking a breath. I didn’t quite get into this record to the point where I could tell which musician drummed on which song or who wrote which riff, as they share duties across the board it seems, but I would say the whole of the experience lands consistent in terms of style and voice.

Although I’d lost my place a few times while entrenched in the greater pool of the listening experience there are just enough jagged, groove-studded landmarks placed along the way that ‘Satanic Inversion of…‘ carries some memorable quality beyond its highly specific sound design. The vocal personae never goes over the top, the bass guitar tone is mostly buried, and their approach is pure without landing a dryly ignorant but overall the only complain I could launch here is that the personality they bring here is almost too conservative, nuanced to the point that it avoids anything truly offensive or embarrassing that might stick out. While they’ve sidestepped any shite moments they’ve just as well stepped a big carefully around anything satisfyingly messy, too. Otherwise I’d found this album and Avmakt‘s work thus far as well and fully entertaining, even if tentative in its own personae in some respects they’ve managed one of the better showings in this style I’ve heard in ages. A high recommendation.

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